- In Focus -
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Calendar of EventsMONTHLY MEETINGS Board Meeting at 6:00 p.m.
September 25
October 23
November 27 |
President's Message
As you are probably aware, SONOPP has taken a new approach to
this year’s membership drive. Members
are the life-blood of the association and we have experienced a
steady decline over the last few years.
Our first two meetings have been hugely successful. We have approached 35 attendees at both programs and the two speakers each did a great job. I know that at least a few of us now use mason jar lids with our muslin backgrounds to make them a little different. It is ideas like that one that make the monthly meetings so valuable. A simple thing like that enables a studio to create a different background with an existing muslin. This saves us money and makes our work look different than everyone else. Whenever anyone asks about SONOPP membership, make sure to mention the money-back guarantee. We will refund the dues of any photographer who feels that they did not receive $90 worth of value after a year of membership. How can they go wrong? This month, I am very excited to hear the presentation by Steve and Julie Busch on Senior and Children Photography. They run a very successful business and their work wins awards each year at the Professional Photographers of Ohio Annual Print Competition. |
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Our new venue, MacKensies Grill on West 150th, worked out very well for the first meeting last month, so we will return again for the September 25th meeting. (See Pics from last month's meeting.) I hope to see each of you there and a few guests as well. Patrick Rice, SONOPP President 2006 - 2007 |
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In This Issue
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September 25 Meeting
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I
encourage every
SONOPP member to simply invite photographers that they know to
attend one or two of our meetings. We will continue this “open
meeting policy” through the October meeting. That means there
are only two meetings left this calendar year to get photographers
to see what SONOPP is all about.|
No 2 Alike - How to keep your photography fresh and original and generate "buzz" in your community. No 2 Alike- this basic concept has driven their approach and enabled their photography to market itself. By following this concept, they continue to generate that all important buzz that keeps Seniors talking about their images. Their drawing area expands every year without the use of advertising and they have seen their Senior and Children's Portrait averages increase every year by following this approach. Their innovative use of indoor backgrounds and outdoor locations keep their sessions fresh and original and draw rave reviews from their Seniors! Julie and Steve have different educations and backgrounds that work together to form an unbeatable team. Julie has a natural artistic style and took to photography without a formal education. Steve has an engineering background and is the technical specialist. Together they present a style and approach that they will share with you that can rejuvenate your photography and help you grow your business. (See some of Steve & Julie's work!)
Bio: Steve and Julie began their business in 1997 as an outdoor and on location studio catering to senior photography. Their business quickly grew to become a full service portrait studio. They have grown their business strictly on word-of-mouth advertising. Their approach to proofing has enabled them to become one of the largest success stories in their area without the use of marketing and conventional advertising methods. Their studio has been a member of Burrell Professional Labs Presidential Circle for 7 years. Both Steve and Julie are Ohio Certified Professional Photographers and both recieved their National Certification this year. Their photography has won numerous awards including Kodak Gallery Awards, Ohio Kubiak Award, Culver Enviromental Award, Ohio Court of Honors, and Julie was a Ohio Top Ten and Mid-East States Top Ten Photographer. Julie will be awarded her Master's degree at PPA next year. Steve's prints in competition this year earned him a Photographer of the Year Award. |
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Never let it be said that SONOPP favored one operating system over another.
Still, check out how professionals and serious photographers can save time
and improve the quality of their photos using Windows XP. |
Here's
how you use it. First press "Q" to activate the Quick Mask.
(See below for how to set the Quick Mask options.) Then, using a very soft black brush set at about 75% opacity, paint the area
that you want to select. (You can repeatedly press "[" or "]" to change the
size of the brush.) When you're done, press "Q" again to de-activate
the Quick Mask
You may need to adjust the options for your Quick Mask tool. To do so,
just double-click the Quick Mask icon as shown by the red arrow.
| The members listed in the box on the right have birthdays this month. Please bring a cupcake to the next meeting for each of them! |
Bob Neldon, Sep 13 |
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This month we present some announcements from PPA about their Members-Only Benefits. Because fewer than half of current SONOPP members belong to PPA, the announcements will have limited value. But they may spark some ideas. We also have several new
responses to Patrick's article.
But first, please note that beginning next
month, portions of In-Focus will move to the website proper. In
particular, This Month's Featured Link, the Photoshop Corner, and portions
of Commentary will all have new homes. The newsletter will still have
sections with those names, but they will simply describe briefly what can be
found and furnish the necessary link. We hope you will like the new
streamlined approach.
Dear PPA Member, We are pleased to announce an important and significant enhancement to one of your many member benefits: the Find-a-Photographer search engine at www.ppa.com.
PPA has joined forces with
Portfolios.com to expand the capabilities of the
Find-a-Photographer search engine at
www.ppa.com. Through this
relationship, all PPA members will be provided "at no additional cost"
with a basic portfolio where they can add up to 5 images. Members'
portfolios will be searchable on PPA's Find-a-Photographer search engine
(average of 9,750 search responses monthly) as well as on Portfolios.com
(average of 130,000 pages of search results monthly).
In the next few days, Portfolios.com will send you an email with your unique
User ID and instructions on how to access your individual portfolio, upload
images and enter other information. If Portfolios.com is not already on your
approved senders or "safe" list in your email application, please check
your spam folder in case this important message is delivered there.
PPA is excited about our new relationship with Portfolios.com. We are
confident that these new enhancements will increase your visibility and be a
great addition to your existing marketing strategy.
PPA's new and improved Find-a-Photographer search engine is just one more
example of how we are constantly working to increase the value of your PPA
membership.
Sincerely,
Al Hopper, CAE
Director of Membership, Copyright and Government Affairs Professional Photographers of America 
This Member Offer is brought to you by:
 
Dear PPA Member,
PPA is pleased to announce an addition to our menu of Member Discount
Programs.
Stock20.com is a royalty free music company already supplying music tracks
to almost 1,000 professional photographers. Now you, as a PPA member, can
access Stock20.com's library of music and get a special member discount.
Stock20.com releases
original production music every month in a variety of styles. Every original
composition includes multiple versions in different lengths, and a license
to use your music in just about any way you can imagine.
Stock20.com allows you to
preview every track in its entirety, purchase any song for $7, download it
instantly, and use it forever.
Photographers can expect to find a variety of moods and expressions to accompany slide shows and presentations, whether it's an edgy senior montage, or an emotional moment between a new mother and her child. And any type of broadcast (including your web site) is covered in the license. Once you purchase a track, it's yours to use forever. Stock20 is fully committed to 100% customer satisfaction. Receive your PPA Member discount by visiting http://www.stock20.com/gvr.php?rc=ppacredit. After setting up your account you will be pleased to find that PPA members get a second song FREE.
Sincerely,
Professional Photographers of America
Professional Photographers of America A Typical Day
Dear PPA Member, |
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More Responses to "The Devaluing of Professional Photography," by Patrick Rice, In-Focus, May 2006
Morning, Patrick: If you're curious what they said, visit our website in a couple of days. There will be a notice on your article how to view other responses. See what happens when you let people share their views. . . It's a good thing. Take care.
Best,
Alice B. Miller Hi Patrick, Ron Hassay sent me a copy of your article that appeared in Studio Photography. My compliments for stating your thoughts on what is happening in our industry! I, like you, learned from the same masters and still cling to the values I was taught as a professional photographer. What we offered our clients stood head and shoulders above "Uncle Harry".
Our industry has taken a turn for the worse and many are experiencing the
negative impact as a result of photographers, and I use the term
loosely, giving their client sub-standard work and handing them a CD.
Most album I agree with you thoughts completely. I have come to a point of not underwriting speakers or associations who promote speakers who send messages to aspiring "professionals" that will do nothing but doom the profession as we once knew it. Sincerely,
Pete Cardello Patrick, I read your article in Studio Photography, "Devaluing Professional Photography". As a 22 year wedding photography veteran I couldn't agree with you more. I learned the old school way and earned my PPA Master's and Craftsman degrees along the way. A part of the blame also goes to our "professional" organizations that routinely feature mediocre or poor work and hype the "new photographers" as flavor-of-the-month for others to aspire to....and even puts them on speaking platforms at a national level! As the director of photography for Edward Fox, I oversee 90 photographers in 3 cities and I can tell you that today's generation are a different breed. Thankfully, I already have noticed the pendulum start to swing back toward clients wanting quality, not just hype and CD's. Thanks for speaking your mind for all of us who don't take the time to
write - we agree! Hi, Patrick, I just want to say I really enjoyed (and agree with) your article in the June PPPANE newsletter. And did you see the cover of the latest PPA magazine - I nearly fell over! Well, I may write a letter myself to PPA. If you were not a PPA member and you saw that cover on a news stand, would you buy the magazine? Yikes! Keep up the good work. Gillian |
